CLIENT NEWS: Waikato family win farm-help for a day

July 15, 2016

Waikato family win farm-help for a day

Deserving local farmers, Judy and Ali Sherriff and their son Robbie, from the little Waikato town of Arohena, have benefitted from seven extra pairs of free helping hands on their busy dairy, sheep, and beef farm this month.

The Sherriff's were recently selected by local energy retailer King Country Energy (KCE) as winners of the company's Holler for a Hand competition, along with two other farming couples from within KCE's operating area.

Consequently, seven KCE staff members, including the company CEO Rob Foster, turned up early this month to assist all day with riparian planting on the couple's 870-hectare farm.

By planting 350 native trees between land and water, the KCE team brought-to-completion 15 years' worth of riparian planting work on the Sherriff's property.

"We bought this farm in 2002 and have been riparian planting on the land since day one. We had one fenced-off area left to plant. The KCE team worked with us to plant the area, which means we're now finished the work we started nearly 15 years ago. We're very grateful," Ali said.

Ali said riparian planting is designed to influence the health of waterways and how they function.

"Our farm borders the Waikato River. Riparian planting basically means we've fenced-off access to the water and planted the edges. There's multiple benefits; it protects the waterways from harmful runoff, and it also prevents cattle from getting in swaps and bogs," he said.

Ali said the day spent alongside the KCE team helped establish "connection" between town and country.

"We've experienced that there can be quite a disconnect between town and country. These sort of events help to bring us together. It's a shame more corporates don't get involved like this. The team worked hard and had fun; we enjoyed every minute of it."

KCE community relations manager Helen Peacock said the purpose of Holler for a Hand was to 'give back' to a few deserving local farmers within KCE's operating area.

"If there's one thing our Key Accounts team has experienced first-hand while visiting our farming customers; it's that a farmer's work is never done."

"We established the 'Holler for a Hand' competition so that busy farmers in our area could apply for assistance with the jobs they've become too busy to complete.

"The Sherriff's are incredibly deserving winners. We trust our extra pairs of hands made the job a lot easier for this hardworking family."

As a result of KCE's Holler for a Hand competition, staff also 'mucked in' for a Tokirimia farmer with lymphoma in late June. On 29 July KCE staff will spend the day helping a Waitomo farmer who had a four-wheeler accident on ANZAC Day.

The company is the King Country's largest power generator and retailer, providing electricity to farms, homes and businesses throughout the region.